So, we’ve had the first episode that nicely set up not just the premise and the relationships of the characters, and it has to be said, as far as first eps go, it was pretty bloody brilliant. So, does the 2nd ep fail to match the high standards set by the opening instalment?
Does it fuck.
If anything, it almost improves on what the first ep did: taking the already setup themes and expanding them greatly, whilst adding a huge amount of tension and, most of all, really exploring how different people can have a different way of judging what right and wrong is, without somehow sounding ridiculously preachy about it in the process. It is probably in the higher number of my top 16 favourites.
I think I’ll start with that opening scene: the best use of McCartney’s Live and Let Die that I have ever seen, in two very different but equally wonderful parts. First, we have Sam looking in the mirror while shaving, a mirror that’s partially broken, with McCartney singing on the radio. We have him staring at it, saying, “Real…unreal”, desperate to see a clear difference between the worlds of 1973 and 2006. Of course, his deep moment is abruptly stopped when he cuts himself on his razor, bringing him back to…well, a form of reality, anyway. A nice, subtle and philosophical moment before we cut to…
“Say ‘Live and Let Die’.”
A fantastic sequence featuring Sam, Gene and Chris in swimming gear, chasing a suspect from a swimming pool. I can’t get over how brilliant this sequence is, matching the big and loud part of the music perfectly, going from a great use of slow motion to a fast paced chase (with my favourite part of course featuring all four, an old lady and her bag), and ending with the return of the slow, quiet part of the song, as Sam looks up at the sky, exhausted but laughing, the first genuinely clear sign that maybe, just maybe, he doesn’t hate 1973 completely. That opening scene is just absolutely amazing – to think, it’s not even the 2nd episode and yet we have another truly memorable and iconic combination of excellent directing and music that, dare I say it, matches the best kind of moments we have seen in film history. (I also have to give special mention to a good friend and fellow film critic of mine Jean, who pointed out just how excellently directed it all was. To be honest, I never really noticed until then: everything had flown together so well and so naturally that, unbelieveably, the skill that went into that one scene practically went over my head many times before. It’s one of the key reasons I’m writing this ep by ep analysis now: to really make an effort at seeing all the skill and effort that went into a series that I have watched countless times and yet have only recently noticed how beautifully constructed it all is.)
Then, after Sam’s one moment of enjoyment in 1973 so far, that all changes after we’ve had the titles (which are nicely retro without going into cliché, which I quite like). First, we have the interview of the suspect, Kim Trent. There is no attempt by the writers here to give him the slightest bit of humanity, a decision that suits the episode perfectly. This is demonstrated by Sam using one of his 2006 methods to shock him during an interview by showing a few pictures of some of his horrifically injured victims. Whereas in the previous episode, Colin Raimes had the decency to show some reaction to the horrific photographs, here Trent just looks at them calmly smoking his cigarette, not affected in the slightest. The continual use of ironies and parallels used in the series is something I always love to see. What’s also great is how the scene is just wonderfully dark, gritty, but still has the occasional moment of humour with a wonderful quote from Hunt (“If you were Pinocchio, you would’ve just poked my eye out”). But even this adds a little to the tension when Hunt starts laughing with Trent and then just stops, letting you know in advance that Hunt really isn’t messing around with such a man who he considers to be the lowest of the scum. Then we have the wonderful moment where he practically explodes and SMACKS Trent, every time he tells an obvious lie. No punches – this bastard’s so low in Gene’s eyes he doesn’t even deserve to be hit like a man, instead treating him as little more than a child who should not tell lies. It lets us know that while Gene is a man who prefers to use action rather than words (or photos) against scum, he’s not the kind of man to just punch them senseless. There’s a method to his policing, even his violence.
Not that it makes Sam any more comfortable, especially when Gene makes it clear that he’s willing to “fit him up” with false evidence, evidence that doesn’t even relate to the crime they arrested him for, just to secure a conviction. The interesting problem here is that Gene isn’t just trying to get home early – it’s more because every time the criminal’s in the city, his history is one of doing not one but two jobs, “bang, bang, in, out” in Gene’s words. He knows he did the first crime, purely based on gut instinct and of course, common sense, and even Sam knows it. One problem: Sam believes that planting evidence is wrong, no matter how bad that criminal is or how incredibly likely it is that he committed the crime.
(Thinking about this, I'll just pause my discussion of the ep and think about something I brought up in my previous analysis - that in any other show, Sam Tyler wouldn't be the main character. Now thinking about it, I'll take that point one step further: that essentially, in any other show, Sam and Gene's roles would probably be reversed. Sam would be the guy in charge and Gene would be the main character out to get the suspect by any way possible, but wouldn't have enough power to do it. Watching Life on Mars really makes me think about the traditional characters we root for in such a show: would we like the characters any more - or even as much - if they had the power they wanted? Honestly, I very much doubt it. Then again, it has to be said that Gene is a hugely likeable character in his own right, he's just not the character who's eyes we see through for the series. It's something to think about, anyway.)
So Sam decides to do “the right thing” and decides to let the guy go, until they have more evidence, at least. It’s a decision that doesn’t sit well with Gene or the others, but Sam believes he’s done the right thing.
Of course, that becomes a lot more difficult for him to justify when Trent and his gang rapidly do commit another crime, on schedule, and one of Gene and Sam's colleagues is critically injured in the attack.
The scene following the attack is absolutely gut wrenching to watch, and Simm again proves how much of a bloody fantastic actor he truly is, as we see all the pain on Sam’s face when facing the consequences of his decision. No one’s going to help him, to tell him it wasn’t his fault, because in their eyes it was his fault, and no one makes it clearer than Gene, who tells Sam to clean up their colleague’s precious blood. Sam’s cries that they “had no EVIDENCE!” fall on deaf ears, and eventually, pathetically, Sam cleans up the blood. This fantastic exploration of what different people believe to be right and wrong is fantastically done, and is one of the biggest reasons why I love this episode. Hell, exploring such complex themes is why I love the show in general – generally speaking, the least interesting part of the series are usually the cases, but only because the show is less focussed on solving the crime and more focused on how the cases explore, challenge and change both Sam Tyler and the people around him.
Sam is now more alone than ever, and naturally, desperately wants to get back home. Even Annie strongly implies that Hunt’s method of locking up Trent would’ve worked if Sam had never intervened. When everyone else is against him, Sam decides to be alone in his flat, with nothing but a bottle of wine to drink. Of course, even this gets ruined for him when the Test Card Girl – an image widely seen on tv when a broadcaster had finished broadcasting tv programmes for the night – appears in the room with Sam. This is a moment that, for me, is simultaneously terrifying and hilarious, partly because of Sam’s very believable reaction that can only be described with the letters “W”, “T”, and “F”, followed by both a question and exclamation mark, but also because of the sheer ridiculous of the situation, and yet it’s played completely straight as a well-made scary moment. Again, one moment where two completely different reactions are simultaneously given, once again giving us a form of duality within the show. (Is it any wonder that, out of all the areas near Manchester that Sam could’ve come from in 1973, he just so happens to have come from ‘Hyde’?)
Eventually, Sam goes to visit his colleague in hospital Joan, and eventually, Hunt arrives as well. The two essentially work out their issues. In one of the most ridiculous and yet natural looking punch-ups put to screen, with the two beating each other senseless in the crudest and easiest ways possible. (The interruption by the nurse halfway through before they show their badges definitely deserves a mention for sheer comedy gold.) Hunt’s speech afterwards about how much he loves his city is another excellent line of dialogue that, while it doesn’t put things completely straight between the two, certainly seems to help Sam find the motivation to keep on going and carry on doing what he does: policing. It is interesting to note that, while neither seems to be particularly apologetic about how they police, both seem to accept how the other does it.
Eventually, through thorough methods and witness interviews, Sam finds a key witness to the 2nd robbery that can identify Trent and asks Annie to stick with him while Ray sits outside his house as witness protection. Unfortunately, to both Ray and Gene, a darts match seemed more important, leading to Leonard and Annie getting put in danger. Obviously, Gene and his crew come to the rescue, but it’s interesting to note that with both copper’s methods, neither of them would’ve landed anyone in danger. It’s the refusal of one to accept the fact that the other one’s methods might work that’s the problem. It’s a subtle message, one that avoids being Star Trek-y by being obvious and preachy about it, and instead works because it’s not the focus of the ep. There’s too many things explored in this episode for it to be that. There’s even time for a nice nod to the obvious influence of Wizard of Oz near the end, with Gene pointing out that, no matter how much Sam wants to go home, he “wanted to come”.
The pushing forward of Sam and Gene’s relationship really makes this a key episode. It barely had a chance to begin in the previous episode, pushed things to near breaking point in this one, but by the end, it does establish one thing: these two may bicker, fight, outright hate each other at some points, but one thing they are not is enemies. These two are working towards the same goal, they just have very different ways of doing it. This ep allowed them to accept that. Not much, but a little, at least. Enough for Sam to relax a bit by the end by playing a hand of poker with Gene.
Until the next fight, anyway.
No comments:
Post a Comment